Chapter 111: A Battle of Sincerity
“Gunther?”
“Yeah, you’ve probably heard that name before.”
I had.
It was then that I realized the man’s identity. That was why, even though it was the first time I had seen him, he felt familiar. Gunther was one of the characters in the original story, though he wasn’t the main character. He occupied a space somewhere between a supporting character and a sub-male character. He fell in love with Eunice after escorting her for some time, but of course, he was dumped cleanly. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Now I understood why he was bewildered that I didn’t know him. Even if he was just a minor character in the original story, he was still a notable figure.
“The Mercenary King?”
Gunther frowned. “There are people who call me that, but I personally don’t like it. I’m not a kid.”
“Then I’ll call you by your name?”
“As you please.”
As soon as I heard his name, I finished my analysis of his personality. It was now much easier to deal with him since I understood his basic tendencies and character traits.
“By the way, why are you here?” I asked, my mind relaxed.
“I was threatened by Duke Abel Heilon. He said if I helped you, he would stop bothering me.”
Abel… threatened the Mercenary King?
I tried to recall the original story for a moment. I don’t think there was any involvement between Fiona and Gunther in the original narrative. Therefore, I believed I had no influence on our meeting today. This was the first time Fiona had met him. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Your face says you have no idea at all.”
“Yeah, I really have no idea. Abel and you are acquaintances?”
Right, of course, things that happened off the page in the story were beyond my knowledge.
After all, except for the parts I had set, everything else was established in its own way.
Gunther sat down. “So, umm… should I call you Lady?”
I decided to keep my expectations low for him; at least he asked for permission to use a title. It would be too demanding to expect him to be as polite as other nobles.
“It’s up to you.”
“I know you, My Lady. I was briefly in Heilon a few years ago.”
Being a mercenary and wandering around, it wasn’t surprising that he had been in Heilon. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Really? Have we ever met?”
“No, not at all.”
If he had never seen me, why was he so confident?
“So, how do you know me?”
“Because I’ve heard some rumors. Unfortunately, it seems you haven’t heard of me.”
“Well, I’m not interested in rumors…”
“I see,” Gunther replied sternly”
At that moment, the door to the drawing room swung open.
“Fiona.”
I got up. “Your Highness.”
I had forgotten for a moment that I had sent someone to the Imperial Palace. If we had discovered Gunther’s identity sooner, there would have been no need to call Sigren. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Sigren looked at Gunther and frowned. “Why are you here?”
Gunther responded, “You look good, Sigren.”
Oh?
“It’s Your Highness, Prince Sigren.”
When I corrected him sternly, Gunther looked dumbfounded. I didn’t care whether this guy was truly stupid or not; my arms were already bent inward because I couldn’t stand it when my lovely Sigren was ignored.
“I can tolerate your rudeness towards me, but I can’t allow you to treat Prince Sigren, a member of the Imperial family, the same way.”
Sigren pulled me closer. “Yes, Gunther, now I can punish you for insulting the Imperial family.”
Gunther calmly shook his head. “What a dirty world this is…”
There were many things dirtier than this; he hadn’t even seen the crown prince. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Well, let’s just let him off this time. At least we’re in a private place.”
Sigren agreed. Since he was fine with it, I had no particular reason to make a fuss, so I raised another question.
“Are you two acquainted?”
“Not that close, but yes, I’ve seen him at Heilon.”
I could see why Abel had said I could ask Sigren.
“I’ve never heard of him.”
“You were in charge of the second and fourth walls. Besides, that guy hasn’t been in Heilon long enough for you to know him.”
Well, unlike me, Sigren’s position involved managing the soldiers as a whole. So it was no wonder he was aware of Gunther.
Sigren’s smile was slightly wild as he looked at Gunther. “So what’s going on?”
“Your master threatened me to come here.”
“That’s not surprising.”
Why was it no surprise that Abel had threatened the Mercenary King? Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Then Gunther looked at me as if I were a rare animal for a moment. “You’re more courageous than I imagined.”
“Is that a compliment?” I asked awkwardly.
“You can interpret it however you like.”
“…” Less than an hour after we met, I had the urge to kick him out.
Sigren wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Stop staring; look elsewhere. And get lost.”
It was a very clear statement.
Instead of replying, Gunther responded with a fierce glare. His expression suggested he was ready to kill a lot of people.
“Stop. I can’t bear it if the two of you start fighting here.”
“….”
Gunther glanced at me and let out a big sigh. It seemed he was calming down a bit. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“My Lady, don’t you need me? If not, it would be nice if you could inform Duke Heilon that you’ve refused me. Otherwise, that insidious duke might annoy me later for some reason.”
“If I say I don’t need you, are you free?”
“I suppose so.”
From Gunther’s point of view, I knew he would prefer it if I rejected him.
“No, thanks. You seem very useful.”
“I thought so.” Gunther shook his head with an excited expression, showing no signs of disappointment.
Sorry to crush his expectations, but I was busy—busy trying to combat an increase in enemies with insufficient manpower. He was a character I could easily understand and found useful, arriving at just the right time. Why should I reject that? Even giving him a bit of preferential treatment wouldn’t be a problem. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Where are you going?”
“The Imperial Palace asked us to go to the Dead Land.”
“Dead Land? Why are you going there?”
Sigren didn’t seem to know yet.
“I’ll explain it in detail later. Anyway, I’m not the only one going, but I still need a reliable escort. If I mobilize the Heilon knights and soldiers, there will be a significant gap in the mansion’s security.”
Currently, there was a shortage of manpower, so it would be beneficial to have the Mercenary King, whose strength was comparable to that of a hundred knights. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Gunther looked at me curiously. “How can you trust someone you’ve just met?”
“I trust the duke who sent you, not you.”
Abel definitely wouldn’t have sent anyone who would threaten my life. Of course, my understanding of Gunther’s character also played a role. At least I wouldn’t have a hard time dealing with him.
“…”
Sigren looked lost in thought after hearing my words. However, since it was already past eight o’clock and Gunther had traveled a long way, we concluded the conversation for now, planning to talk more later. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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